Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

Darrell Proctor is a data analyst and communications professional with years of writing, editing, and analytical experience in the energy sector. He has been part of Pulitzer Prize-winning teams and has more than three decades of management expertise, leading teams in both newsrooms and boardrooms. He's a sought-after speaker and analyst on topics across the spectrum of power generation, energy infrastructure, financial aspects of the industry, and more.

  • Germany Restarts Coal-Fired Generation to Support Winter Power Supply

    Government officials in Germany have approved a plan to bring some shuttered coal-fired power plants back online in an effort to avoid energy shortages this winter. Cabinet members on Oct. 4 said they would support putting on-reserve lignite-fired power plants back online from now until the end of March 2024. It’s another move related to […]

  • POWER Notebook: New Projects For Energy Storage, Community Solar, Electric Buses; Google Announces PPA

    An Arizona utility plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) that will help it store more of the region’s abundant solar energy, enabling the power to be used after the sun goes down. Tucson Electric Power (TEP) in early October said it plans to start operating what would be the largest energy storage […]

  • The POWER Interview: Common Misconceptions About Direct Air Capture

    The power industry has always evolved to meet the rising energy demands of communities across the U.S. That demand is now shifting from energy powered by fossil fuels to greener alternatives that can help the world reach its goal of keeping global warming under 1.5C. The latest report from IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]

  • Feat of Engineering Provides Floating Power Solution

    A project utilizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) is supporting power generation in El Salvador and playing a major role in the country’s energy transformation. An energy project in El Salvador has been called

  • Hybrid Plant Provides a Cleaner Power Solution

    California is looking for additional electricity resources, while being mindful of environmental concerns. That means power companies are looking at innovative technologies to provide reliable electricity

  • 10 New Reactors Discussed as Sweden Looks to Expand Nuclear Power

    Sweden has joined the growing list of countries discussing nuclear power as part of a strategy to produce more electricity while also decarbonizing power generation. Lawmakers in June adopted new targets as

  • POWER Digest [October 2023]

    Coal-Fired Plants Serving EV Battery Makers Could Get Special Financing. Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK), which supervises and regulates financial services for Indonesia, in early September said it is considering

  • California Group Inks Deal for Power from Massive New Mexico Wind Farm

    A California company that specializes in providing renewable energy to electricity customers has signed its largest procurement contract. Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) on September 28 said it will receive 220 MW of wind power from Pattern Energy’s SunZia Wind installation in New Mexico, a 3.5-GW project that at present would be the largest wind onshore […]

  • Major 2-GW Hydropower Station in Angola Now Fully Online

    Officials in Angola announced that the Laúca hydroelectric power station is now fully operational, with Austrian company Andritz wrapping construction of the final 70-MW environmental flow power station at the site on the Kwanza River. Andritz built and installed all the units at the 2,070-MW plant, located on the border between the Angolan provinces of […]

  • Deloitte Report Details Importance of Energy Storage to U.S. Power Grid

    Energy industry analysts have said energy storage will be needed to support the integration of renewable energy into the U.S. power grid, and to provide grid flexibility and reliability. Energy storage, including the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS), also will support moves toward electrification and continued decentralization of U.S. power generation. A new […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—September 20, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 20, 2023 DOD Inks Deal with Redflow for Microgrid Repowering at Air National Guard Base The U.S. Dept. of Defense (DOD), as part of the agency’s climate action plan and its strategy for sustainability, will deploy a prototype microgrid at a […]

  • 12 Nuclear Reactors Operating in Japan After Takahama Unit 2 Restart

    Japan’s Kansai Electric Power has restarted another reactor at its Takahama nuclear power plant, the 12threactor to be returned to service in that country since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011 led to the idling of Japan’s entire nuclear fleet. Kansai on September 15 said the 826-MW Takahama No. 2, which originally entered service in […]

  • DOD Inks Deal with Redflow for Microgrid Repowering at Air National Guard Base

    The U.S. Dept. of Defense (DOD), as part of the agency’s climate action plan and its strategy for sustainability, will deploy a prototype microgrid at a military installation in New York state. Redflow Limited, an energy storage group, and Ameresco on September 18 announced that Redflow has signed a $2.83 million contract with the DOD’s […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—September 18, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 18, 2023 Renewable Hydrogen Production Part of New Toyota System at California Port FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America said they have completed what the groups call a “Tri-gen” production system at the Port of Long Beach in California. The […]

  • Renewable Hydrogen Production Part of New Toyota System at California Port

    FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America said they have completed what the groups call a “Tri-gen” production system at the Port of Long Beach in California. The system, owned by FuelCell Energy and serving Toyota’s operations at the port, will produce electricity from renewable resources, as well as hydrogen, along with water from directed […]

  • Energy Storage Project Announced to Serve California Grid

    An energy storage project in Southern California will provide resource adequacy (RA) and ancillary services to the state’s power grid, adding more reliability and resiliency for electricity in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market. LS Energy Solutions (LS-ES), which provides grid-connected energy storage solutions, on September 7 said it would deploy 200 MW/400 MWh […]

  • EIA Reports Second Straight Year of Growth for New U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plants

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said it expects 16 new natural gas-fired power plants will begin commercial operation this year, a second straight year of growth in gas-fired generation capacity after three consecutive years of declines. The EIA in its “Natural Gas Weekly Update” released August 31, citing data from the agency’s “Monthly Electric […]

  • Solar-Powered EV Chargers Supporting California Vineyard

    Companies in the agriculture sector are increasingly relying on distributed power generation to support their operations, particularly those wanting to use make their energy use cleaner and their supply of electricity more reliable. A vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in California provides an example of an agricultural property benefiting from off-grid energy. The Kaerskov […]

  • Solar Farm at a Landfill Site Brings New Meaning for Waste to Energy

    The Mount Olive project in New Jersey is a model for turning a brownfield site into a “brightfield,” supporting cleaner power generation and providing a wealth of benefits for the local community. The U.S

  • Companies Announce Advancements for Diesel-, Gas-Powered Engines

    The global market for diesel- and gas-powered engines continues to grow, as manufacturing companies unveil products designed to produce power more efficiently while at the same time lowering emissions. The

  • Arizona Site Will Host Long-Duration Energy Storage Project

    An innovative battery energy storage project, using a non-lithium technology, will be deployed at a research center in Arizona. Salt River Project (SRP), the state’s community-based, not-for-profit public power utility, and Germany’s CMBlu Energy, which designs and manufactures energy storage systems, on August 31 announced a pilot project for a 5-MW, 10-hour, long duration energy […]

  • Texas Adding to U.S.-Leading Renewable Portfolio with 200-MW RWE Wind Farm

    A 200-MW onshore wind farm project is under construction in Texas, an installation that will add to the state’s U.S.-leading renewable energy portfolio. RWE, a German multinational energy provider, on August 31 said the Montgomery Ranch Wind Farm is being built in Foard County. The company said it the project will increase RWE’s installed wind […]

  • The POWER Interview: Pomega Energy Storage Manufacturing Takes Shape in U.S.

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law just more than a one year ago, improves the economics for battery energy storage projects in the U.S. Standalone storage projects are now eligible for a 30% investment tax credit (ITC), a figure that could reach 70% with additional incentives around the use of domestic equipment, and […]

  • GE Vernova Completes Upgrades at Futtsu Gas-Fired Power Plant in Japan

    GE Vernova’s Gas Power division announced the start of commercial operations for a major natural gas-fired power plant in Chiba, Japan, following completion of equipment upgrades at the facility. The Futtsu Power Plant-Group 4, operated by JERA, Japan’s largest power generation group, features three GE 9HA.01 gas turbines. GE Vernova on August 28 said the […]

  • Judge Rejects Lawsuit Challenging California Nuclear Plant’s Operations

    A California judge rejected a lawsuit from an environmental group seeking to keep Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) from extending the operating life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The judge on August 24 said a move by California lawmakers last year to extend the plant’s lifespan as part of the state’s regulatory oversight […]

  • The POWER Interview: Addressing the Challenge of Electrification

    The International Energy Agency says electrification “means replacing technologies or processes that use fossil fuels, like internal combustion engines and gas boilers, with electrically-powered equivalents, such as electric vehicles or heat pumps. These replacements are typically more efficient, reducing energy demand, and have a growing impact on emissions as electricity generation is decarbonized.” The transition, […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—August 21, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 21, 2023 Hydrogen Production, SMRs Touted for Virginia Data Center Hub Two companies supporting different technologies in the energy sector have formed a joint venture to develop an industrial park in Virginia that could feature data centers powered by hydrogen gas… […]

  • Hydrogen Production, SMRs Touted for Virginia Data Center Hub

    Two companies supporting different technologies in the energy sector have formed a joint venture to develop an industrial park in Virginia that could feature data centers powered by hydrogen gas generators and small modular reactors (SMRs). Green Energy Partners (GEP), a Pennsylvania-based group better known for its development of solar power, and IP3 International—a nuclear […]

  • CPV, GE Vernova Bring 1.2-GW Gas-Fired Plant Online in Illinois

    Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) said the company’s new 1.2-GW Three Rivers Energy Center in Illinois has entered commercial operation. The natural gas-fired facility, built in collaboration with GE Vernova’s Gas Power business, features two generating blocks, each with a GE 7HA.02 gas turbine, an STF-A650 steam turbine, a W84 generator, and GE’s integrated Mark* Vle […]

  • Quebec Utility Mulls Restart of Mothballed Nuclear Reactor

    A government-run Canadian utility said it is considering restarting a nuclear reactor that was shut down more than a decade ago, in an effort to support the supply of energy in Quebec. Hydro-Québec on August 10 said it could bring Gentilly-2, Quebec’s only nuclear power plant, back online to support electricity production. The reactor was […]